Turbo-machines



May 15, 1956 c. KELLER TURBO-MACHINES Filed 001:. 22, 1952 g Fig. 3

IN VE N TOR Curl: Keller AHorn egs United States Patent ice 45369 g V v Patented May 15, 1956 Figures 3 and 4 show two further details of construction, and

2,745,969 Figure 5 is an axial longitudinal section through'a part TURBO MACHINES 5 of an axial-flow turbine with guide wheels and rotating 7 discs. Curt Keller, Kllsllacht, Y P to f In Figures 1 and 2, the numeral 1 represents a rotor lgesgnschafi g g a lunch swmer drum of a steam turbine which operates at teman a corpora on o er an peratures and is surrounded by a casing 2, carrying guide A li ti O t b 22, 1952, S i l N 316,166 blades 3, a heat-insulating layer 4 and an outer casingS of sheet metal; 6 is a rotor blade.

Claims pnonty, application Switzerland October 25, 1951 Formed in the casing 2 in the vicinity of the rotor blade 6 Claims (CL 250 83 6) 6 is a bore 7 and in addition a radio-active subtance8 has been applied on the outside periphery of the blade 6.

The numeral 9 indicates a Geiger counter arranged out- The invention relates to turbo-machines, in which a side the housing 2, 4, 5, that is to say, beyond the region rotating part can be displaced relatively to a fixed part of high temperatures, for receiving the rays coming from as a result of thermal expansion. the radio-active substance 8. Thehousing 2, 4, 5 exerts In turbo-machines which are subjected to high tema screening eifect in relation to these rays. Variation in peratures, for example, steam turbines and gas turbines, the intensity of the rays which pass to the counter 9 are the parts thereof 'can expand to difierent degrees, especapable of being determined-by means of the latter an cially when such machines are started rapidly from the of being read, for instance, on a dial 10. cold state or are placed under load. Thin-walled parts The bore 7 represents a means which enables the inusually become hot more quickly than thick-walled parts. tensity of the rays passing to the counter 9 to be in- The supply of heat to the parts also depends on the exfiuenced. The more rays which pass through this bore 7, tent to which each part is acted upon by the flow of hot the more intense is the pencil of rays which reaches the fluid through the turbo-machine. Thus, for example, counter 9. The number of rays which go out from the the turbine shaft located inside the machine expands to substance 6 through the bore 7 depends upon the posia greater extent than the housing, so that relative distion which the blade 6 assumes in relation to this bore, placements can occur between the rotating shaft and the so that by means of the latter and the counter 9, it is fixed housing. If such displacements assume a relatively possible to ascertain the relative position between the large value, they can easily lead to the rotors carried by rotor and the stator (parts 6 and 3) of the turbine. The the shaft rubbing on the guide wheels of the housing, arrangement may be such, for example, that with the which can be the cause of serious damage. lowering of the distance a between the rotor blade 6 For reasons of reliability in operation and also for the and the guide blade 3 located on the right thereof to a purpose of obtaining good eificiency, it is therefore imdangerous minimum, a maximum of rays passes through portant to be able to have an indication of the relative the bore 7, so that the intensity of the rays passing from positions of certain elements of the machine. For this the radio-active substance 8 to the counter 9 is so great purpose, it has already been proposed, for example, to that it can render operative a light signal, sound signal ascertain the relative position between the rotor and the or similar signal, either directly or, for example, through stator of a steam turbine or gas turbine by means of a 49 amplifiers. feeler. This however necessitates the provision of 21 sep- In the constructional form shown in Figure 3, the inarate stuffing box, so that the movements of the feeler tensity of the rays which originate from the radio-active inside the housing can be transmitted to the outside and, substance 8 and pass to a Geiger counter (not shown) in addition, there is the danger of incorrect readings beare varied by the screening action of a housing 11 comcause the feeler element may, for example, become worn prising flanges 12. The more rays which go through the or bent. flanges 12, the weaker is the intensity of the rays which It has also been proposed to ascertain the relative posipass to the counter. tion between the rotor and stator by electrical means, With the constructional form according to Figure 4, using capacitive or inductive elements. However, it has the same applies as soon as more rays go through an been shown that such arrangements, which are in part 50 additional screening member 13. subjected to the high temperatures, are extremely difiicult Since the sensitive counter 9 is set up outside the to construct and moreover require the provision of several machine housing, that is to say, outside the range of high auxiliary devices. Furthermore, the fitting of elements temperatures and, in addition, no auxiliary mechanical of the type referred to in the vicinity of a turbine rotor or electrical means for transmitting the movement have is always a source of danger. to pass through the machine housing for the purpose of The objects of the invention are to avoid disadvantages ascertaining the relative position of the parts of the of the type set forth above. According to the invention, turbo-machine which are concerned, the arrangement defor detecting relative movement between a rotating part scribed is reliable in operation and reliable as regards its and a fixed part of a turbo-machine resulting from therdata. It is possible to operate with a very small quantity mal expansion, one of the said parts has applied to it a 50 of radio-active substance. radioactive substance and means are provided on the The radio-active substance can also be arranged at any other part for varying the intensity of the radio-active point on a stationary part of a turbo-machine in the rays in accordance with the relative positions of the two vicinity of one of its rotating parts. For example, the parts, means such as a Geiger counter being also proradio-active substance can be applied at a position on the vided to measure the variations in intensity of the rays fixed guide blade disc.

Embodiments of arrangements according to the inven- The turbine a part of which is shown in Figure 5 comtion are shown by way of example in the accompanying prises a rotor consisting of a shaft 14 and bladed runner drawing, wherein: wheels, one of which is shown and carries the reference Figure 1 is an axial longitudinal section through an numeral 15. 16 in a guide blade disc, with guide blades axial flow turbine with an arrangement according to the 17, inserted in the casing 2. The radio-active substance 8 invention,

Figure 2 is a part of Figure 1 at an enlarged scale,

has been applied on a projecting part 18 of the guide disc. With a relative movement between this disc and the adjacent rotor wheel 15, that is to say, between the stator and rotor of the turbo-machine, a projection 19 provided on the rotor wheel concerned is introduced to a greater or lesser extent into the pencil of rays which normally pass from the radio-active substance 8 to the Geiger counter 9 outside the turbine housing, so that a greater or lesser amount of these rays is screened by said projection ofthe rotor wheel before reaching the Geiger counter.

Instead of a projection of the runner wheel itself other means, as for instance a covering strip projecting laterally from the outside periphery, can be provided on a runner wheel adjacent to the guide disc, said means, with a relative movement of stator and rotor, extending to a greater or lesser extent into the pencil of rays which normallypasses from that substance to the counter.

The arrangement may also be employed when it is required to ascertain the position of parts which are displaced relatively to one another in radial direction.

What is claimed is: V

1. The combination of an axial-flow turbine consisting of a rotor and a housing surrounding said rotor; a radioactive substance applied to a runner blade of said rotor; a counter of radioactive rays arranged outside the housing in the vicinity of said runner blade; said housing presenting a discontinuity in wall thickness in the region of axial displacements of that blade, so that the intensity of the rays passing from the radio-active substance to the counter is modified according to axial displacements of the rotor blade relatively to the housing.

2. The combination defined in claim 1 in which the 4 housing has a cut-away portion in the region of the axial displacements to be determined.

3. The combination defined in claim 1 in which the housing is formed with flanges in the region of the axial displacements to be determined.

4. The combination defined in claim 1 in which the housing comprises a supplementary screening member in the region of the axial displacements to be determined.

5. The combination of an axial-flow turbine comprising a rotor with runner wheels, fixed guide wheel discs and a housing surrounding the rotor and the guide wheel discs; a radio-active substance arranged on a guide wheel disc; a counter of radio-active rays arranged outside the housing in the vicinity of said guide wheel disc; and means provided on an adjacent runner Wheel which with a relative movement between the runner wheel and the guide wheel extend to a greater or lesser extent into the pencil of rays passing from the radio-active substance to the counter. a

6. The combination defined in claim 5 in which the means provided on the runner wheel comprises a lateral projection.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,467,812 Clapp Apr. 19, 1949 2,501,560 Blau Mar. 21, 1950 2,518,115 Bernstein Aug. 8, 1950 2,522,522 Krasnow Sept. 19, 1950 2,566,868 Allia Sept. 4, 1951 

